Early Exit Looms for Golden State Warriors After Poor Start in 2023 NBA Playoffs

• The Golden State Warriors became the fifth defending champions in the history of the NBA to lose their opening two playoff games
• Philadelphia struggled with its title defenses in 1957 and 1984, with those teams losing in their opening playoff series
• The Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks got swept in the first round of the playoffs following their title wins in 2006 and 2011, respectively

The Golden State Warriors are in deep trouble.

They will head to San Francisco down 0-2 to the Sacramento Kings in their best-of-seven series.

The Warriors are the fifth defending champions to lose their first two games in the NBA Playoffs.

Each of the prior four teams lost that series, with three of them getting swept, per NBA.com.

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Sports Brief looks at the four NBA teams whose title defenses collapsed after falling in a 0-2 hole.

Philadelphia Warriors (1956 champions)

The Philadelphia Warriors won the NBA championship in 1956, beating the Fort Wayne Pistons 4-1 in the Finals. Joe Graboski starred in the title clincher, scoring 29 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in Philadelphia’s 99-88 win.

However, the Warriors’ title defense in 1957 didn’t go according to plan. They lost 2-0 to the Syracuse Nationals in their best-of-three first-round series.

Syracuse won Game 1 by a score of 103-96. The Nationals completed the sweep in Game 2, beating the Warriors 91-80.

Philadelphia 76ers (1983 champions)

The Philadelphia 76ers captured the title in 1983, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game sweep. Moses Malone starred in that championship series, averaging 25.8 points and 18 rebounds per game.

Their bid to repeat was thwarted, however, by the New Jersey Nets in 1984. The Sixers shockingly lost their first two home games against the Nets, putting them in a 0-2 hole as they headed to New Jersey.

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The Sixers returned the favor, beating the Nets on the road in Games 3 and 4, to force a Game 5 in Philadelphia.

Many expected the Sixers to complete the comeback, but the Nets had other ideas. New Jersey stunned Philadelphia 101-98 in the series decider to advance to the next round.

Miami Heat (2006 champions)

The Miami Heat won the title in 2006, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The Heat battled back from a 0-2 deficit, winning four games in a row to win their first-ever championship.

They were unsuccessful, however, in their title defense in 2007, as they lost 4-0 to the Chicago Bulls in the first round.

Luol Deng scored 33 points in Game 1 to lead the Bulls to a 96-91 win over the Heat in the series opener.

Ben Gordon then led the Bulls in scoring in Games 2 to 4 to complete the shocking sweep.

Warriors beat undermanned Kings, edge closer to clinching playoff spot

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Dallas Mavericks (2011 champions) 

The Dallas Mavericks finally reached the mountaintop in 2011, beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

Many expected the Heat to win the title that year, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in their starting lineup.

The Mavs had Dirk Nowitzki, though. The German superstar powered Dallas’ stunning comeback, leading Dallas to victories in Games 4 to 6 to foil James’ bid for his first-ever title.

Dallas’ attempt to win back-to-back championships got derailed in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, with the Mavericks losing to the Thunder in a four-game sweep.

The Mavs had no answer for Oklahoma City’s young trio of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant in that series.

Golden State’s struggles continue  

Sports Brief recently reported on the Warriors’ loss to the Kings in Game 2.

Golden State’s bench struggled on Monday night, with the Warriors’ reserves scoring just 21 points.

They must step up in Game 3 with Draymond Green suspended for that all-important contest.